Part of the fun of coffee is the varied ways in which a person can brew their drink. From the percolator to the Keurig to the espresso machines, it's easy to be sucked into pages upon pages of methods and recipes to brew a simple cup of coffee.

I've had great brews from many different methods, but my daily go-to is the AeroPress.

It's a simple, single-serve device that looks disturbingly similar to a large horse syringe with the tip replaced by a black filter cap instead.

It's deceptively easy to use, reasonably hard to destroy and stunningly easy to clean. Perfect for a post-college, somewhat responsible person like me.

Amusingly, the AeroPress was actually invented by the founder of Aerobie, a company that's traditionally known for selling the Aerobie Pro line of chakram-like flying rings and other sport products.

The inventor and founder, Alan Adler, wanted to invent a single-serve brewing method that would boast short immersion times to minimize coffee acidity and bitterness, and out of that desire he birthed the AeroPress.

The total brew and clean-up time is typically only a few minutes from start to end and the result is a smooth, strong and clean espresso-like coffee.

It lacks the distinctive crema that's associated with an espresso due to the low pressure required with an AeroPress brew, and some are even calling it an "aeropresso" to differentiate it.

The coffee lacks the distinctive mouthfeel one would get from a French press. So if you're looking for a coffee thick enough to chew on, the AeroPress would fail astoundingly.

Clean-up is simple because the entire contraption consists of just a plastic tube, filter and plunger. Unscrew the filter, push the coffee "puck" out and simply wash it under warm water.

Its durability and simplicity also make it wonderfully portable. Combine it with a small hand grinder and you'll have a kit you can bring to work or on trips.

While I love the AeroPress, it isn't without faults. Using the AeroPress filters, coffee oils are filtered out compared to other methods, which is blasphemous to some coffee lovers.

It's also very small and can make, at best, two cups of coffee at a time. Brewing with fine grounds also requires significantly more pressure to pump out the coffee and could result in accidents.

The amount of pressure that's required also means it's best used with a sturdy mug. Fragile, dainty coffee cups would be better off with other methods.

A quick search online will yield many different recipes for using the AeroPress. My favorite so far is Mark Prince's iced coffee recipe, though I skip the ice and milk and prefer it hot and black. The result is a very strong brew however, so adjust accordingly.

Let me know what your favorite brewing method or favorite recipe is.

Send me a message on Twitter @jkteoh or an email at jteoh@stcloudtimes.com.